Slaves in the Family

In Slaves in the Family, Edward Ball traces his family history back to South Carolina, where his ancestors owned approximately 100,000 slaves across 25 rice farm plantations. Ball's book is an unusually intelligent historical analysis that uses specific research into particular individuals to illustrate the larger institution of slavery. Especially interesting is the frequency of interracial relationships between slaves and their owners, as well as the ways that women were able to leverage this (limited) form of power to obtain benefits for themselves and others.